Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LaFemmeKatia]

Phyllis Enters her Nest

I had the chance to observe Phyllis utilizing her planter nest the other day. The video below shows the final 2 minutes plus of her entering the nest.

she spent almost 7 minutes verifying that it was safe before she went in. She patrolled the deck and surrounding area during those 7 minutes. @Shadrach is that a typical period of time?

I don't know if this will upset Phyllis or make her happy. I'm thinking of putting some copies straw for nesting material in her planter Nest. All of the eggs come out covered in potting soil and I'd like to"clean them up". Does anyone have an opinion on that?

Put some of that fine soft straw in it. Or some Timothy hay. She might like that.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Great sadness
I don’t think Diana will last much longer. Maybe not even the night.
About a week ago I found an egg with no shell in the nest box.
Each day after there was evidence of a no shell egg - though it was always eaten (by Diana) by the time I found it.
It took me a while to be sure it was Diana’s rather than Elizabeth’s problem.
For sure Maggie was laying normally and so were the road runners.
While figuring it out I was dosing both Elizabeth and Diana with 400 mg of calcium citrate on top of layer feed and oyster shell available on demand.
I also scrambled eggs with calcium carbonate for anyone interested.
This morning I picked Diana up to give her the calcium pill and was immediately covered in egg yolk. She was fine running around and even caught a baby snake and played tug-o-war with Maggie for it.
I gave her a warm bath which she liked until she didn’t but that didn’t help and in the middle of the day i gave her more calcium and again I got covered in egg coming out of her vent. No shell.
I just lubed up and had a feel around but nothing to feel.
In the last couple of hours she has become clearly unwell. She is still drinking but has her tail down and is not chasing bugs let alone snakes.
I have put her in the brooder which is in the coop so she can be with her friends but the outlook doesn’t look good.
I don’t know how I feel. I don’t think I could have done anything else. I hate to see her so miserable, on the other hand she had a lovely chickeny day for most of the day.
I don’t know if I will be able to put her out of her misery if she is still alive but suffering in the morning. I don’t reallly know what to do.
Poor Diana.

I am sad to hear this news. You’ve done the best for her, all you can do is wait for morning and see how she is. Poor girl.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Thank you.

The big roost looks awfully big without Diana.
View attachment 2725994
She is at the same level in a sort of hospital zone looking across at them. She has a little roost but she has settled into the shavings on the floor of the box. I think she knows she is safe and with friends.

Thank you.

The big roost looks awfully big without Diana.
View attachment 2725994
She is at the same level in a sort of hospital zone looking across at them. She has a little roost but she has settled into the shavings on the floor of the box. I think she knows she is safe and with friends.

I believe that they are less anxious and more comfortable when they can “be” with their flock.

 

[featherhead007]

I believe that they are less anxious and more comfortable when they can “be” with their flock.

I feel better, when I’m with my flock. Just saying!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Ok, internet seems to be working again! I’ve got five or six new chicks, one that probably won’t make it, as mom crushed the egg and it still has a yolk sack, I put that under another girl and am hoping for the best, but expect to find it died on my next check. My batteries are done on the trailer, generator is out of gas, I couldn’t run an incubator or get it up to temp in time. We lost the Blind girl sometime yesterday as well, I’ve been so out of it I’m not sure when or how, but when DH went to put her up on a roost last night she was gone.

The Second Moderna Dose knocked us on out butts, big time. It took 12hrs to hit, but fever, chills, body aches. I was weak as a newborn Kitten and DH wasn’t much better. He had to go into town to pick up the chickens though. There was a lot of napping in the truck.

I was basically on my own here for egg deliveries and chicken chores. At 10 am I stumbled out and managed to open up Hawk, I didn’t stay to see if everyone got out, I got Mr Maran, and Barney open before struggling back to bed, Gatorade, and Blankets for about half an hour. It was little bursts of activity all day interspersed with long periods of lying down covered in blankets and sucking back fluids. I called my mother, she had basically no side effects, and she helped me do the meat chicks and deliveries. Everyone got Food and Water, but that was about it.

I set up the meat Chicks today for their first day free ranging, of course the cockerels from the two pens immediately set to trying to “establish” themselves. Well, Roostie fixed that! He gently but firmly stopped all the little guys from fighting. “Who’s the biggest? Neither of you, that’s for sure” he doesn’t even have to really peck them, he just waddles up to the combatants and they stop. He was also flirting with the younger girls a little, but no real attempts at anything with them… just a “look how beautiful I am!” Dance.

Ok, internet seems to be working again! I’ve got five or six new chicks, one that probably won’t make it, as mom crushed the egg and it still has a yolk sack, I put that under another girl and am hoping for the best, but expect to find it died on my next check. My batteries are done on the trailer, generator is out of gas, I couldn’t run an incubator or get it up to temp in time. We lost the Blind girl sometime yesterday as well, I’ve been so out of it I’m not sure when or how, but when DH went to put her up on a roost last night she was gone.

The Second Moderna Dose knocked us on out butts, big time. It took 12hrs to hit, but fever, chills, body aches. I was weak as a newborn Kitten and DH wasn’t much better. He had to go into town to pick up the chickens though. There was a lot of napping in the truck.

I was basically on my own here for egg deliveries and chicken chores. At 10 am I stumbled out and managed to open up Hawk, I didn’t stay to see if everyone got out, I got Mr Maran, and Barney open before struggling back to bed, Gatorade, and Blankets for about half an hour. It was little bursts of activity all day interspersed with long periods of lying down covered in blankets and sucking back fluids. I called my mother, she had basically no side effects, and she helped me do the meat chicks and deliveries. Everyone got Food and Water, but that was about it.

I set up the meat Chicks today for their first day free ranging, of course the cockerels from the two pens immediately set to trying to “establish” themselves. Well, Roostie fixed that! He gently but firmly stopped all the little guys from fighting. “Who’s the biggest? Neither of you, that’s for sure” he doesn’t even have to really peck them, he just waddles up to the combatants and they stop. He was also flirting with the younger girls a little, but no real attempts at anything with them… just a “look how beautiful I am!” Dance.

Ugh, I feel bad for you. I, too, had this reaction with my second dose of Maderna. It’s the pits! Hopefully it will pass now. Good luck with your yolky chick. You never know.

 

[featherhead007]

Chicken tax (I’m sure I owe some)

 

[Kris5902]

I think I will need to focus more on my photographing and wait to upload at my mothers place. The old folks home has solid WiFi, go figure? I have been fighting my connection all day it seems. Or Arduinna. Or the chickens. I think AT&T is winning, I may be winning at the goat wrangling as she hasn’t escaped yet, despite letting herself out several times while I was napping. With the chickens we are at a solid draw.

 

[RoyalChick]

I believe that they are less anxious and more comfortable when they can “be” with their flock.

Yes. I only put her in the brooder because Maggie was snacking on the egg dripping off her.
I can’t explain it well but she is right there with them. Just safe from them.

 

[fuentemoon]

Watermelon day

 

[Kris5902]

Yes. I only put her in the brooder because Maggie was snacking on the egg dripping off her.
I can’t explain it well but she is right there with them. Just safe from them.

That’s the best situation for her, still with her tribe, but safe within bubble of personal space. I’ve done similar things with cat carriers and my bad rooster box. Being with the tribe is important, but if they start pecking your bum because you’re leaking egg? That’s not good for anyone. It would set the others up for a potentially very bad habit, potentially injure Diana further, and then you would have more of a mess to sort out. She may turn around, you never know. Could you consider looking for a way to halt her laying through a vet?